I love to work with flowers! Anticipating my son’s wedding next fall I went to the flower mart to pick up flowers I think will work for beautiful arrangements. Just the first of many ideas. I picked up Bittersweet, a Premium Rose, Alchemilla, Allium, Spider Mums, Joe Pye Weed, Artichokes, Butterfly Weed Asclepia, Trachelium, Ranunculus, Scabiosa, Mums, Buxifolia, and Wild Grasses. I used a large round clear vase filled with stones from my many trips to the beach at Lake Michigan and a smaller rectangular vase also filled with Lake Michigan stones. These arrangements are the first of several I will try for next year’s special day.

One of my favorite times is Thanksgiving… an easy menu, family, and how I love to set the tables and enjoy the fall flowers. I am in the thick of planting winter containers and picking up outdoor greens, birch branches, magnolia leaves, and various fun additions to use… but I can never pass all those gorgeous indoor flowers!

Yes, I am in a bit of heaven surrounded by gorgeous colors and a wide variety of blooms in the cold flower case, so I had to purchase a few beautiful stems to play with.

I picked gorgeous Hydrangea, Cherry Brandy Roses, an amazing hot pink Peony (my favorite!), a soft purple Queen Anne’s lace, pink and orange Ranunculus, Allium spray (that is called pink but is more purple in color), and a variety of Berzelia, which I also like to use outdoors.

I opted to use three birch bark covered containers that I also purchased at LD Trading Co, in Northbrook, IL. I have two tables to dress so I put a rectangular container on the smaller table and the two squares on the larger table of 12 with various votives and candles.

I always like to bring out all my good and also playful dishes, as a crowd of 20 requires me to use most all dishware. I prefer to use placemats and runners rather than table cloths because I like the look. I found these fun paper place mats at Gethsemene Garden Center in Andersonville called “kitchen papers”. This design is “Archival Floral”.

You can have as much fun with the flowers at the grocery store, just make sure to mix them up and choose a color palette that works for your fall thanksgiving table. You can use ball jars, old various sized vases, pitchers for your containers, get creative and enjoy the process!

This past weekend I went to Hausermann’s Orchid Show. It is worth the visit out to Villa Park if you appreciate these amazing plants. I went to buy Orchids for customers and will probably have to go back next weekend to buy for my own home. The variety of orchids is what makes this show so exciting. You will see so many types you never find at a retail flower shop.

I am including a few of my favorites and I may have more pictures if I go out again next weekend. The show ends March 3rd. It’s a great activity for this weekend.

There is nothing easier than a succulent container. Once it is planted there is very little watering involved. They love the sun and heat. The plants may not give off a wide array of color but the varied textures and shapes as well as the variety of greens with accents of rich dark cranberry make a very interesting container. I love the patterns and shapes the Hens & Chicks make as well as all the different sedums. If you haven’t tried this type of container I suggest you do. You won’t be disappointed and the best part is you can bring this container indoors when the cold weather hits. Some of my clients are bringing them back outside after spending the winter accenting their indoor spaces.

Just a great way to display and plant your smaller orchids. The color yellow is always a favorite of mine as it reminds me of my dad. He loved the daffodils in the spring, so this brings a small amount of that sunshine inside.